The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system did not shoot down a ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean during a scheduled intercept test Wednesday, the Missile Defense Agency announced. The intermediate-range target missile successfully flew from the Kwajalein Atoll in the western Pacific and the ground-based interceptor missile successfully fired from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and deployed its kill vehicle for the hoped-for collision with the target missile in space. And all sensors, including the sea-based X-band radar system, performed as planned, stated MDA. Still the intercept did not occur. MDA said it will conduct an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the intercept failure. Officials will determine the timeline of the next test after they have identified the cause.
The Department of the Air Force has identified 50 programs that will make up the core of its contribution to the Pentagon’s joint all-domain command and control effort, branding them part of the “DAF Battle Network,” according to newly-released budget documents. The DAF Battle Network programs span multiple offices and agencies…